AD finds out what steers them on, and off shore

A Luxury Yacht

The word on the street, or seas, is that, to be able to sail a Wally, you need to stick to one rule: “You’ve got to be on top of your game,” says Luca Bassani Antivari, his voice soaring almost dramatically over the phone, all the way from Monaco. It’s just noon there and the sexagenarian owner and president of Wally makes this and other theatrical pronouncements as if he’s been delivering them for decades. And perhaps he has.

Wally, over time, has come to represent an ethos of innovation and performance that its regatta-frequenting patrons often bask in the reflected grandeur of. “The perfect Wally client is successful—which is why they can buy the boat—and courageous. They are not people who follow the crowd; they stay ahead of everyone else,” says Antivari, adding, “And the Wallys reflect that; they are always ahead of the fleet.”

Wally Yacht: Channelling Nature’s Design

Indeed, the sailing season in the Mediterranean is considered incomplete if a Wally is not present in all its “Corinthian spirit, offering as much fun on land as on sea”, says the brand’s website. And it’s not just performance that moors the boats in the category of superyachts. Wallys, which are both racing sailboats and luxury recreational cruisers, propose a visual story that is very close to Antivari’s heart. “The beauty of nature is always a part of our design. The sensations and feelings you encounter when you’re surrounded by nature is something that we bring forth in our style,” he says.

The boats are marvels of modernist naval architecture—minimalist, sleek and sophisticated;they are also beautiful. “We were the first to use metallic colours on our boats. That happened because I realized one day that metallic colours are very close to the tones and textures of rocks, water and sand,” says Antivari.

Almost 35 metres in length and weighing nearly 48 tons, Tango balances its structural weight and hull stiffness by centralizing the weight of the machinery, thereby providing the yacht low drag in lighter conditions and increased stability in strong winds. Photographer: Gilles Martin-Raget

Wally Superyacht Series

For our first exploration of the brand, AD looks at one of Wally’s newest offerings—Tango, which was launched in August 2017. Tango is the fourth unit of Wally’s Wallycento superyacht series. It was built over a period of two years, in collaboration with the Italy-based multinational Persico Marine, which specializes in both racing boats as well as cruising superyachts. A finished Tango is a sight to behold: a shadowy frame that appears to glide, instead of cut, through the waters, with its dramatic deck geometry enhancing the purity of the design. For the first time, Wally worked with Ireland-based Mills Design, which specializes in performance yacht design. It is one of the many brand associations that keep Wally’s focus on innovation fresh and up-to-date.

“All our collaborators are interesting because they are all very competent. It leads to an exchange of knowledge, which is very constructive and important,” says Antivari. As much as the Wally philosophy is rooted in innovation, tradition is important too. “In fact, our innovation has always been based on tradition. Often, it is based on old ideas that were not realized because the technology and materials did not exist back then,” he adds.

Monaco-based boat maker Wally launch their newest yacht, Tango

The interiors arrange the main salon towards the stern; the engine room and service area near the centre; and the guest accommodation at the bow. Designed by one of their regular collaborators, Italian design rm Pininfarina (which was acquired by Indian multinational group Mahindra in 2015), the interiors reflect the exterior of the superyacht, and combine performance with comfort. “Thanks to the selection of the materials and the innovative solutions of the interior decoration, we generated a true thoroughbred of the sea—ultra-light and super-performing, perfectly suitable for cruising as well as for racing,” says Paolo Pininfarina, the chairman of the design group.

The Tango salon features light-grey sofas in leather from FBLuxury, a textile atelier near Turin. Red Alcantara pillows dot the furniture. The lighting for all the cabins is by Cantalupi. Photographer: Toni Meneguzzo

The VIP head (maritime term for toilet) has wooden cladding by Alpi, while the towels are by C&C. Photographer: Toni Meneguzzo

The VIP cabin has clean-cut interiors featuring light fabric wall panelling by Sunbrella, while the dark fabric is by Gaetano Rossini. The black carbon-fibre bespoke furniture is by Persico Marine. The red decorative pillows on the bed are in Alcantara, a microfibre material. Photographer: Toni Meneguzzo

Form for Function

The Wally concept is rooted in a series of simple ideas. “It is based on the experience that we have had in our lives,” says Antivari. “A Wally is not created out of the blue; it is a step-by-step build-up on the ideas we have had, and an improvement of all of those.” Coherence is another keyword for them, as is a “form for function” approach. On top of all of this is the focus on the user, who, Antivari says, is the biggest inspiration. “I can speak as both a user and an owner of sailing boats that the experience inspires the design we choose and the material we use. For me, I can feel it in my heart, and I know what the client is looking for,” he adds.

Luca Bassani Antivari as photographed by Emmanuel Nguyen

The idea of user experience as a foundation for design has now brought Antivari to land. “As a user, I found out that we could do something better with the buildings and towers we reside in. We are missing something, which we could realize using our ideas and technology,” he says thoughtfully. Antivari is in talks with real estate firms and architects about a possible ‘Wally’ tower, and expects a plan to materialize in a couple of years. In jest, we point out another uncharted (by Wally, at least) territory: India. “Well, this requirement must come from the Indian market!” he says, laughing. “We would love to bring the first Wally there. We haven’t yet encountered any Indian clients. Maybe they will seek us out once they read this.”